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Purpose of the Press

@Robert Underwood · May 18, 2016 · 2 min read

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Most of you should recognize that as the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. A lot of power and responsibility is recognized in that sentence. First of all, the government doesn’t grant us these rights; these rights are provided to us naturally and the government cannot interfere with those rights. The two that are rarely addressed are the right of the people to petition the Government and the freedom of the press. The press is specifically mentioned because the press has one major responsibility…

To be a watchdog on the Government.

The press has slacked off on the job for decades now, trying to distract us with other issues such as bathrooms. Fortunately, somebody is doing their job. This report first came out last year and you can read the article for yourself along with the follow-up articles here and here. While this report deals with state politicians, similar events happen on the local and national levels as well.

We as Americans should expect and demand transparency from our government at all times, and anything shady should be brought to the light. Any laws passed should be short, in plain languages, and be debated by representatives and the public at large before being voted on. The press is to help facilitate between lawmakers and the public. The majority of the press has abdicated their duty in the name of ratings and manipulation. The only way things are going to change for the better is for the press to start doing their jobs again. If they did, Barack Obama would have never become president or would have won re-election.